An Alternative Health Plan
March 15, 2017
THE Anti-New York Times suggests alternatives to the Obamacare Lite proposal supported by Congressional Republicans and the Trump Administration:
1. Limit malpractice lawsuits against doctors and hospitals by establishing award limits. Cap lawyer fees at 10% and place the burden of proof on the plaintiff. …
2. Give doctors and hospitals a partial or full income-tax / corporate credit for treating those too poor to afford health insurance.
3. Round up and deport every legal and illegal invader currently receiving Medicaid or visiting hospital emergency rooms for care.
4. Allow workers to accumulate money in a tax-free Medical Savings account from which minor costs can be paid from.
5. Remove most if not all of the costly mandates, regulations and paperwork requirement for private insurers. Allow them to offer policies more similar to home insurance — which only cover major events.
6. Wean employees off of employer-provided insurance by allowing the employers to redirect the money spent on health care policies to the employees, but without losing the tax benefits of those sums. The employees can then take the subsequent increase in monthly salary and then aggressively shop for their own policy — one that competes for business and fits the individuals needs.
7. Until such time as MediCare (for the elderly) can be replaced altogether, limit the program based on means testing. Those elderly who are flush with liquid cash (and there are many!) can start paying for their own policies.
8. Remove the artificial limits that the protection-racket known as the AMA uses to limit how many people can become doctors. More doctors = lower costs.
9. Allow lower income individuals to qualify for full or partial tax credits (including the Social Security tax) to offset the cost of purchasing insurance.
10. Until such time as the Federal government can get out of the health care business altogether, chop the $630 budget for the Department of Offense down to about $100 billion (still would be the largest military budget on earth!) Return $300 Billion of those savings in the form of tax cuts, and use the other $230 Billion to dole out as “Medical Food Stamp” cash for those who still cannot afford coverage.
